Levees and Dams

News about Levees and Dams, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 25, 2015

Drilling accident at aging Cannonsville Reservoir in upstate New York that has allowed water to seep out of base of 175-foot-high earthen dam has stirred up long-held fears of those who live in surrounding area; many in surrounding communities also harbor resentment over fact that reservoir serves New York City, which is more than 100 miles away. MORE

May. 2, 2015

Federal Judge Susan G Braden rules that United States government must shoulder some cost for flooding damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 because New Orleans area's hurricane protection system built by Army Corps of Engineers failed to do its job. MORE

Apr. 11, 2015

Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection issues order prohibiting construction of dams on length of upper Yangtze River, which will end hydroelectric dam project proposed for area near city of Chongqing. MORE

Mar. 31, 2015

Op-Ed article by author Michael Buckley warns of devastating consequences to Tibetan people and environment of China's plans to dam or divert Tibetan rivers to increase hydropower output; notes Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangladesh also heavily depend on rivers that have sources in Tibet; urges China's leaders to reconsider these plans and to pursue alternative sources of energy in region. MORE

Mar. 29, 2015

Editorial examines California Gov Jerry Brown's proposal for protecting San Francisco Bay Delta watershed from saltwater contamination; notes that despite flaws in plan, which many critics have pointed out, proposal shows that California officials are preparing for possible detrimental effects of climate change; warns circumstances in California shows that even when risks are recognized, cost and bureaucratic inertia combine to drag out implementation of needed measures. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

Agreement to fairly share water from Nile and peacefully resolve any related disputes is signed by Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan, alleviating concerns raised by Ethiopia's massive hydro-electric dam project. MORE

Mar. 12, 2015

Plan to address range of environmental and economic issues at Lake Ontario has encountered both support and opposition from interests in New York State and across border in Canada; would restore normal water levels around lake by limiting controls at the Moses-Saunders hydroelectric dam, returning lake to rhythms of nature. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Nation's locks are deteriorating, slowing barges on rivers and delaying commerce; United States Army Corp of Engineers, whose budget Pres Obama wants to cut, says it needs $13 billion to fix decrepit locks through 2020; 70-year-lock near Paducah, Ky, will be replaced, but not until at least 2023. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Protests that began in 2013 in Lisle-sur-Tarn, France, to oppose construction of nearby dam have turned into a national drama and have prompted criticism of Pres Francois Hollande's leadership; outcry resonates with many young people in France, who see few future opportunities and feel little kinship with the government. MORE

Oct. 12, 2014

Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, one of Africa's most ambitious infrastructure projects, is 32 percent complete, with financing, more than $357 million so far, coming from Ethiopians themselves; country will sell excess energy to neighboring countries, which should bring in about $1 billion in annual expert revenue starting in 2021, four years after scheduled completion date. MORE

Sep. 8, 2014

Strikes on Sunni militant positions near Haditha Dam in Iraq, in effort to prevent release of floodwaters toward Baghdad, deepen American military engagement in Iraq. MORE

Sep. 8, 2014

Op-Ed article by conservation advocates Prof John Waldman, Prof Karin E Limburg and Amy Roe contends all four dams on the Susquehanna River must be removed; warns dams have made the river an ecological disaster, and they pose threat to Chesapeake Bay as well. MORE

Aug. 24, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Jacques Leslie describes reversal in assessment of Thayer Scudder, world's leading authority on impact of dams on poor people; notes Scudder now contends that large dams are not worth social and environmental cost; highlights study published in Energy Policy finding that actual construction costs of dams are too high to yield positive return. MORE

Aug. 20, 2014

Iraqi and Kurdish forces retaking the Mosul Dam in Iraq encounter wreckage, craters and other evidence of the deadly effect American airstrikes have had on the militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria; two days of concerted air assaults paved the way for reclamation of strategically important dam, which remains in fine condition. MORE

Aug. 19, 2014

Olmsted Locks and Dam project, designed to replace two deteriorating locks on busiest section of Ohio River, is the largest and most expensive inland water navigation installation ever built in the United States; it was first authorized by Congress in 1988 at a cost of $775 million, and supposed to take a decade to complete but is now slated to conclude by 2020 at cost approaching $3 billion. MORE

Aug. 5, 2014

Army Corps of Engineers settles lawsuit that will force it to disclose for first time amount of pollutants its dams send into waterways. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

Noordwijk Journal; Netherlands experts say dikes of country's famed water management system work so well that they worry citizens will begin to take staying dry for granted; as global climate change threatens to raise sea levels, Dutch authorities are working to make schoolchildren aware of forecasts that may seem far-off by engaging them in activities such as sand-castle competitions. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Dr David M Post study in journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that 18th-century settlers in New England set off evolutionary changes in alewife herring species by damming lakes, and that those changes rippled across food web. MORE

Jun. 11, 2014

Chilean government commission rejects $8 billion proposal to dam Patagonian rivers to meet growing energy demands, handing a victory to environmentalists who praise the ruling. MORE

May. 8, 2014

Op-Ed article by environmentalist Yvon Chouinard calls for removal of thousands of crumbling dams throughout United States that are no longer useful and pose safety hazards; lists environmental drawbacks of such dams, noting many services they once provided can be met through other means. MORE

Apr. 21, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Richard Conniff describes how dam constructed on Mill Brook in Connecticut in 1672 led to river herring becoming landlocked in Rogers Lake, which has set them apart from the rest of their species for generations; notes that due to newly constructed fish ladders the seafaring river herring will finally come face to face with their landlocked cousins after being separated for 342 years. MORE

Apr. 14, 2014

Environmentalists argue that Army Corps of Engineers proposal to build dam inside New Jersey's South Mountain Reservation would kill dense stands of trees and other vegetation that now form the most scenic swath of the park; proposal is one of seven flood-mitigation alternatives for the Rahway River Basin; during Tropical Storm Irene and other major storms, the Rahway River has caused severe flooding in downstream communities. MORE

Jul. 26, 2013

Dismantling of Veazie Dam on Penobscot River in Eddington, Me, along with two other major new river restoration projects, will give 11 species of fish, including river herring and Atlantic salmon, better access to 1,000 miles of spawning habitat for first time in two centuries; decade-long project will cost $60 million. MORE

Jul. 24, 2013

Letter from former Sen Gary Hart of Colorado comments on July 22 editorial about removal of damn on the lower Penobscot River in Maine. MORE

Jul. 22, 2013

Editorial hails news that Veazie Dam on Penobscot River in Maine will be removed, allowing lower river to freely flow again and revive complex migratory ecosystem once teeming with fish working their way up from the sea; says initiative is welcome step in effort to restore native ecosystems but urges environmentalists to also protect oceanic habitats of these fishes. MORE

May. 5, 2013

China's renewed plan to build series of hydropower dams on Nu River, one of Asia's wildest waterways and one of world's most ecologically diverse and fragile places, has stunned environmentalists; project will force relocation of tens of thousands of ethnic minorities, destroy spawning grounds for endangered fish species and profoundly effect downstream farmers and fishermen in Myanmar. MORE

Apr. 16, 2013

Amendment to seven-decades-old treaty between Mexico and United States will increase water flow down Colorado river and support efforts to restore native habitat and wildlife to Mexico's Colorado delta; area has become wasteland since 1960s as American dams diverted most of river's water to support development of West. MORE

Mar. 7, 2013

Alaska is planning to build 735-foot, $5.2 billion hydroelectric dam, which would create new power supply for more than two-thirds of state's population; proposed dam presents economic and environmental challenges. MORE

Feb. 12, 2013

Syrian insurgents and opposition activists say that rebel forces have taken control of country's largest hydroelectric dam, assertion that, if confirmed, would give them significant control over vital reservoir and what remains of sporadic power supplies in country. MORE

Nov. 7, 2012

Laos, ignoring criticism that huge hydroelectric dam could irreparably damage ecology of the Mekong River, says it is pushing ahead with the multibillion-dollar project, first dam to be built on lower portion of the iconic river; electricity from the project will be sold to Thailand and will provide billions of dollars of revenue to Laos, one of the poorest countries in Asia. MORE

Oct. 31, 2012

Scientists have warned for nearly a decade that New York City faces increasing peril from rising sea levels, more frequent flooding and extreme weather patterns; officials facing aftermath of Hurricane Sandy are considering major infrastructure changes to protect the city, including Andrew M Cuomo, who has proposed a levee system or storm surge barriers. MORE

Oct. 9, 2012

Op-Ed article by author Cheryl Colopy argues India must embrace sustainable methods, such as rain-harvesting, as it seeks to satisfy its rapidly growing demand for water; notes that the alternative, damming, has so far wreaked environmental havoc in the country. MORE

Sep. 7, 2012

Louisiana residents outside the ring of levees that protect New Orleans want the federal government to erect walls to protect their communities as well; major financing for such efforts is not likely, however, for reasons having to do with the federal budget, Army Corps of Engineers priorities and the rigid cost-benefit analyses that such projects must undergo. MORE

Aug. 30, 2012

Reporter's Notebook; Army Corps of Engineers nervously monitors water levels and the levees, gates and pumps intended to protect New Orleans from a repeat of the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, as Hurricane Isaac takes its toll on the city. MORE

Aug. 29, 2012

Construction begins again on a mammoth hydroelectric dam in the heart of Brazil’s Amazon rain forest hours after the country’s Supreme Court orders a resumption of work on the project; dam has been opposed by Indian groups and environmentalists. MORE

Aug. 28, 2012

Army Corps of Engineers is considering alternatives to expensive repairs to a levee built in 1937 in Zoar, Ohio, including razing buildings in the village. MORE

Aug. 3, 2012

Port Angeles Journal; restoration of the Elwha River in Washington State, by removing two dams that all but killed it, is bringing back the fish but is also creating a mind-bogglingly large surge of sediment; scientists say no other dam removal project in the nation comes close to the earth-load in the Elwha, and most of it, after decades in the making, has yet to come down the river. MORE

Jul. 19, 2012

Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement, large-scale 2010 agreement between various interests to restore Oregon's Klamath River, has been indefinitely derailed by the local Tea Party; agreement would have removed four dams along the river, providing more water for farmers, restoring the salmon population and returning lost land to Indian tribes. MORE

Jul. 1, 2012

Op-Ed article by journalist and filmmaker Charles Lyon observes that hydroelectric dam projects are advancing at an aggressive pace all across Brazil, and have sparked a confrontation over the environment; notes that Brazil is trying to achieve a balance between managing its population's growing energy needs and protecting the Amazon, one of the planet's most vital resources. MORE

Jun. 15, 2012

New Orleans' vast defensive network of levees, flood walls, gates and pumps is finally in place, nearly seven years after Hurricane Katrina; some experts still question whether the $14.5 billion project will provide the city sufficient protection from the most severe class of storms. MORE

Jun. 12, 2012

Workers begin removing the Great Works Dam in Maine in the first step to restoring a more natural flow of the Penobscot River, which saw its once-abundant runs of fish wiped out after the dam impeded migrations to fish spawning grounds; long-delayed start of the project is expected to end years of rancor and uncertainty. MORE

Jun. 12, 2012

Editorial hails the demolition of the Great Works Dam in Bradley, Me, the first step in a multiyear effort to restore ancient fish runs on the Penobscot River; argues that regulators and lawmakers should now search for other opportunities to get rid of unnecessary hydroelectric dams. MORE

May. 24, 2012

Interior Department will allow periodic increases in the flow of Colorado River water through the Grand Canyon, alleviating the environmental disruption caused by the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona in the 1960s. MORE

May. 6, 2012

Brazil is leading a rush among South American nations to build dozens of important dams in the Amazon, but strikes and uprisings by workers demanding better pay at the biggest hydroelectric projects are producing delays and cost overruns. MORE

Apr. 27, 2012

Oregon Federal Judge James A Redden argues that hydroelectric dams in the Columbia River Basin should be taken down in order to protect endangered salmon that live in the river; Redden spent a decade presiding over a contentious court battle related to the dams before passing it on to another judge in 2011. MORE

Feb. 17, 2012

Editorial supports California Rep Dan Lungren's efforts to reevaluate whether San Francisco should continue to buy water from the Hetch Hetchy reservoir in Yosemite National Park; argues issue is not only how city uses its water, but also whether there is any rationale for dam that destroyed a pristine valley in order to create the reservoir. MORE

Feb. 5, 2012

Officials and residents in the Mississippi River flood plain near St Louis, Ill, are accusing the Army Corps of Engineers of raising safety standards for levees to unreasonable levels, heaping millions of dollars of unnecessarily expensive repair and insurance costs on their communities; Corps, flush with stimulus money from the federal government, has indeed raised the frequency and standards of their levee inspections, but contend they have done so only to avoid potentially catastrophic damages from flooding. MORE

Jan. 12, 2012

Signs of recovery are mounting In southeastern Missouri, where the Army Corps of Engineers blasted a levee last spring in order to flood the Birds Point-New Madrid floodway and relieve the surrounding area; nearly three miles of gaps have been filled in following eight month effort; some citizens of Birds Point continue to assert that move was unnecessarily extreme. MORE

Dec. 30, 2011

Chinese State Council approves changes to shrink boundaries of a Yangtze River preserve that is home to many of the river's rare and endangered fish species; decision is likely to clear the way for construction of the Xiaonanhai Dam, a $3.8 billion project that environmentalists say will flood much of the preserve and wipe out many species. MORE

Dec. 21, 2011

Editorial urges the Supreme Court to rule that Montana should not be able to collect rent from a power company that owns hydroelectric dams on the state's rivers if it had not previously sought compensation from companies. MORE

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